Leviathan eBook

After The Captivity The Jews Had No Setled Common-wealth
During the Captivity, the Jews had no Common-wealth
at all: And after their return, though they renewed
their Covenant with God, yet there was no promise
made of obedience, neither to Esdras, nor to any other;
And presently after they became subjects to the Greeks
(from whose Customes, and Daemonology, and from the
doctrine of the Cabalists, their Religion became much
corrupted): In such sort as nothing can be gathered
from their confusion, both in State and Religion,
concerning the Supremacy in either. And therefore
so far forth as concerneth the Old Testament, we may
conclude, that whosoever had the Soveraignty of the
Common-wealth amongst the Jews, the same had also the
Supreme Authority in matter of Gods externall worship;
and represented Gods Person; that is the person of
God the Father; though he were not called by the name
of Father, till such time as he sent into the world
his Son Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind from their
sins, and bring them into his Everlasting Kingdome,
to be saved for evermore. Of which we are to
speak in the Chapter following.

CHAPTER XLI

OF THE OFFICE OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR

Three Parts Of The Office Of Christ We find in Holy
Scripture three parts of the Office of the Messiah:
the first of a Redeemer, or Saviour: The second
of a Pastor, Counsellour, or Teacher, that is, of
a Prophet sent from God, to convert such as God hath
elected to Salvation; The third of a King, and Eternall
King, but under his Father, as Moses and the High Priests
were in their severall times. And to these three
parts are corespondent three times. For our
Redemption he wrought at his first coming, by the
Sacrifice, wherein he offered up himself for our sinnes
upon the Crosse: our conversion he wrought partly
then in his own Person; and partly worketh now by
his Ministers; and will continue to work till his
coming again. And after his coming again, shall
begin that his glorious Reign over his elect, which
is to last eternally.

His Office As A Redeemer To the Office of a Redeemer,
that is, of one that payeth the Ransome of Sin, (which
Ransome is Death,) it appertaineth, that he was Sacrificed,
and thereby bare upon his own head, and carryed away
from us our iniquities, in such sort as God had required.
Not that the death of one man, though without sinne,
can satisfie for the offences of all men, in the rigour
of Justice, but in the Mercy of God, that ordained
such Sacrifices for sin, as he was pleased in his
mercy to accept. In the old Law (as we may read,
Leviticus the 16.) the Lord required, that there should
every year once, bee made an Atonement for the Sins
of all Israel, both Priests, and others; for the doing
whereof, Aaron alone was to sacrifice for himself
and the Priests a young Bullock; and for the rest
of the people, he was to receive from them two young
Goates, of which he was to Sacrifice one; but as for